Senator Lindsey Graham (R – S.C.) may finally be coming around on this whole internet gambling thing.

Butnahhh, not really.

According to GamblingCompliance.com (article behind paywall), Graham, the tip of the spear for Sheldon Adelson's Restoration of America's Wire Act (RAWA) in the Senate, said that it was not his intention to make online lottery sales illegal with the bill. He said that his office is discussing the matter with those who feel RAWA would do just that in order to "see if we can find some accommodation."

It is really fairly humorous that Graham is feigning ignorance on this subject and is basically saying, "What? No. Really? You think RAWA would ban online lottery sales? Hmm. Well, let's talk about it and see what we can do."

I mean, look at the text of the H.R. 707, Rep. Jason Chaffetz's (R – Utah) version of the bill in the House, which is the same as what Graham introduced last year in the Senate. First of all, it changes the language of the Wire Act from bets having to do with sporting events to any sort of bet at all. "Any bet or wager" would certainly include lotteries. Then, Section 3 reads, "Nothing in this Act, or the amendments made by this Act, shall be construed to alter, limit, or extend the ability of a State licensed lottery retailer to make in-person, computer-generated retail lottery sales under applicable Federal and State laws in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act."

This explicitly says that lottery tickets can be sold in person, even if the ticket is generated by a computer. That computer clarification is quite obviously there to make sure in-person retail lottery ticket sales are not confused with internet sales, even though both involve computers and both involve the transfer of information over communications lines. Additionally, by explicitly saying that in-person sales are permitted, it also implies that internet sales are not allowed.

So yeah, Graham is a big faker. But hey, now that there has been pushback from state lottery officials, he is willing to talk so that, perhaps, RAWA has a better chance of passing and Graham has a better chance to bathe in Adelson's riches.

If online lottery sales do get a carve-out in the bill, that would essentially just leave online poker and online casino gaming as the forms of gambling that are not permitted. RAWA already exempts charitable gambling and online horseracing wagering (*eye roll*) from its restrictions and fantasy sports are already protected under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA).

This is a reprint from pokernewsdaily.com. to view the original, click here.